MMPH Alumni Stories

“It’s not about doing the cool work. It’s about doing the work that is necessary for that community,” says RUTH MODZELEWSKI (HUGEN '96) in a discussion featuring faculty and alumni about their impact on local communities, including collaboration between the private and public sector, the value of community based participatory research, empowering communities with early access to data, and acknowledging the “invisible” Latino community in Pittsbu...

Alumnus DIEGO CHAVES-GNECCO (MMPH ’00), now associate professor at Pitt’s School of Medicine and founding director of the program SALUD Para Niños at UPMC’s Children’s Hospital, received the F. Edwards Rushton CATCH Award at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. Named in honor of F. Edwards Rushton Sr., this award honors pediatricians who collaborate within their communities to increase children’s access to ...

Alumna BETSY JOHNS (MMPH ‘99) recently joined the Stormont Vail Health medical team and will practice as a family medicine physician at Cotton O’Neil Corporate View. She received her medical degree at the Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia in 1994. She completed a residency training in family practice at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and a faculty development fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medic...

Tammy Haley is director of nursing and radiological sciences, associate professor of nursing, and coordinator of the RN-BSN program in the Division of Biological and Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, where she has been a member of the nursing faculty since 2003. She teaches Physical Examination and Health Promotion and Community Health Nursing at the BSN level and teaches at all levels of the ASN program, in both the c...

NILOFAR “Nellie” JAFARI (MMPH '16) has been named the ACCP-ASHSP-VCU Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow for 2017-18. Pharmacists selected for the position have the opportunity to gain real-world insight into health care policy analysis and development via immersion in the congressional environment. Fellows are actively mentored in legislative evaluation, policy development, research and writing while integrating practical experience with theo...

MARIA ABUNTO, MD, MPH (MMPH '16) recently assumed a new position with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland after completing her studies at Pitt Public Health. A medical doctor with years of experience in basic science and clinical research, Abunto pursued the MMPH and global health programs to augment clinical training and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to serve in a public health leadership position.

Diego Chaves-Gnecco (MMPH '00) was recently awarded the 2016 FUERZA Award by Cafe Con Leche for his work with Salud Para Niños and service to Pittsburgh's Latino community. “The FUERZA Awards celebrate local Latinx talent and the contributions they have made to the Pittsburgh region,” said founder, Tara Sherry-Torres.

In September 1998, a young Colombian doctor dragged his suitcases into Oakland, preparing to pursue a fellowship in clinical pharmacology and a Master of Public Health at Pitt Public Health. Fifteen years later, he has married, made Pittsburgh his home, and found a spiritual and intellectual calling to serve what he calls "an invisible community:" the Pittsburgh region’s fast-growing population of immigrant Latino children.

2014-15 Graduates

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